A blog on the current crises in the Middle East and news accounts unpublished by the US press. Daily timeline of events in Iraq as collected from stories and dispatches in the French and Italian media: Le Monde (Paris), Il Corriere della Sera (Milan), La Repubblica (Rome), L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut) and occasionally from El Mundo (Madrid).

Saturday, November 05, 2005

El Jorge's Monkey Shines

George W. Bush can't even sit in a chair and behave. Pratfalls, gaffes, marble-mouthed mutterings, umbrella games, tumbles, potty-calls and grimaces are the hallmarks of his public presence.

As Argentinian President Kirchner gave an incisive opening address at the Summit of the Americas, Bush rose to the occasion with his antics. The incurious and unread President smiled broadly when Kirchner said the word, Bible (although he was referring to plagues and catastrophe), but pouted and tapped his translation earpiece when Kirchner quoted Gabriel Garcia Marquez. What a damned idiot, our American aristocrat.

Kirchner made some dramatic points. He reminded the audience that Washington's policies are often a threat to democratic nations and have led to the collapse of a democracy more than once. Its policies have provoked "social tragedies" throughout the hemisphere. He described Washington's view of developing countries as "archaic." He did not spare the International Monetary Fund, describing it as a "perverse organization."

Bush's 45 minutes of private talks with Argentinian produced a steaming Kirchner, who complained of a "raw" atmosphere in his one-on-one Chimpy. At one point, Kirchner was said to have burst out in exasperation with, "Bueno, I am not a pimp [for Bushco's policies]", which Chimpy's interpreter translated as "obsequious".

In a press conference following the talks, all Chimpy could come up with was praise for the "enormous countribution" of Argentinian basketball player Manu Ginóbili of the San Antonio Spurs, flummoxing the audience. But apparently Bush's handlers told him to mention Ginóbili in order to contrast him with retired soccer star Diego Maradona, one of the organizers of the Anti-Summit.

Mexican President Vicente Fox gets a "D" in Conduct as well for his monkey-see, monkey-do. During Kirchner's strong and well-delivered speech, Fox refused to look at the podium and declined to applaud.

Your remarks on Fox are spot on: I must confess I was impressed by his anti-Bush stance at the UN in the weeks preceding the invasion of Iraq…but Coca-Cola’s fabled “zorro astuto” proved to be just another cynical politico and a highly obsequious one for that matter!

Shame on Fox: I hope Zapata’s disciples and other impoverished Yucatan peones save a few rotten tomatoes to greet him like he deserves at Mex City Airport

Miguel, a Buenas Aires activist, left the following comment on the Further Left Forum:

"watching it on tv atm. the summit of the peoples seems to be massive. But i dont know if its a good thing. Is it a real debate on how to change things, or is it the way they found to keep people away from the streets, where they can really protest against this summit and the criminal bush?"

I don't know why it is necessary to pout, make faces and grimaces. Can't they just behave? Fox was a hero in Salamanca. But at Playa, his behavior was embarassing. Your entourage is responsible for the details. So just smile for the camera and applaud and look good in your $500 suit.